Verrill Cottage Burns on Island

Verrill Cottage Burns on Island

Stony Creek Firemen Check Blaze After Rowing Through Stormy Sea

The Hartford Courant; Dec 26, 1916; researched by Alan Schenker, digitized by Doug Frizzle, March 2012.

Branford, Dec. 25

A large summer cottage of A. H. Verrill on Governor’s Island in Long Island Sound, off Stony Creek, was burned today. Several other cottages in the summer colony there were in danger, but Stony Creek firemen succeeded in saving them after a hard battle.

The firemen had a hard time getting to the island, as a high wind was blowing and there was considerable sea. They made the trip in row boats, carrying chemical apparatus and ladders with them. By cutting down the tall grass near the burning cottage they prevented the fire from spreading. The Verrill cottage had been unoccupied for some time, and the origin of the fire is not known. The building at one time was used as a boy’s school. The loss will be several thousand dollars.